How things work: the underground driver Bashny.Net

About hiring

My experience machinist metro - almost twenty years. First I worked as a conductor, and each month had a week or two away. When he married, he had a daughter, I wanted to spend more time at home. I decided to go on courses subway driver. They checked the sight, sound, pressure, drinking, non-drinking, morally steady if not whether the drive to the police - I was all right. Although these were formal verification, taking anybody. Some were obvious Bukhari, and the only one that we knew: man-shift. I do not know how he has passed a medical examination, but worked for five years until he was jailed for the murder.

Regarding the courses themselves - experience has shown that a train is sufficient to control a tenth of all the knowledge we have received. By the end of the study, we probably could disassemble and reassemble the entire composition. Know where it is screwed, parts and equipment of all nodes. Lectures were five times a week, we just recite the material in the university.

The machinists took mostly the guys from the suburbs. If the people of Kiev, the predominantly Obolon - that lived near the depot. Women somehow did not take. I only remember one. We do not take, probably because women need a separate room and give, so that they could sleep after the night shift, and a separate shower do. And we had all things in common, like in the army.

Generally, a machinist to work, you have to be phlegmatic. And soon even nihilists, do not take everything to heart. Work generally monotonous, but it does happen and stressful situations.





Passenger

Falling back on track quite often. When I got a job, the event was: AWOL soldier apparently was running away from the patrol. The train was pulling out, and the guy decided to cling to the last car. He grabbed the handrails, stayed for a while and then broke - flew along the tracks. As far as I remember, there's sad it was over.

Most often, the passengers fall from platform to "Vokzalnaya". I myself have no one knocked, once only mirror drunk hurt, but he, thank God, did not fall under a train. And the other guys have been cases. If you knocked down a passenger, you immediately give three days in which to recover. Some take a week or even a month.

When a person falls on the rails, the driver instantly slows down, good brakes brutal. After that, it should not move a centimeter train, not to dodavit.

Under the platform there is a third contact, rail energized at 825 volts. Normally, if a person has fallen, it is between the rail and the car, that is just stuck there. Power, of course, immediately cut down.
Once I helped to pull the fallen passenger "Theatre." He suffered an hour and a half: clamped tightly. Then the driver violated the rule: just drove off and we pulled out the man. After this shock some shouting, while others can not utter a word.

We had a "champion" in the number of passengers brought down - four, it seems, to his credit. He is the father-hero of many children, so that by law he could not be fired. He's someone crush, and then on sick leave for six months - for children to watch.

More was a time when there was a fashion for a walk along the tracks in the open areas. I remember the food at midnight, I see: there is a man. In such a decent black suit, but somehow barefoot. The interval between trains big and he had almost from the "water park" to reach the "Left Bank". I stopped, dragged him into the cabin. "Well, finally, - he says - wait. It's hard to go. " I asked why barefoot. He explained that the sleepers slippery shoes uncomfortable. I reached this "passengers" to the station, gave it to the dispatcher, and that - is the police.

On the management of train

Train "turns" itself. Rather, the fact that all are called "twists" - we are "curved sections." The train passes them without turning the wheels, due to the slope of ways. But work at the driver is: open and close doors, brake, accelerate, monitor the devices.

Typically we go at a speed of 40-50 km / h. Maximum train speed - 80 km / h. It can be more, but risky, because some of the cars for more than 50 years. In Moscow and St. Petersburg this is not junk - scrap metal deposited. We have the same cars that are still in 1990 to write off going to still go.

The average normal distance between trains - 600-800 meters. When any part of behind schedule, delayed at the station, following it is forced to stop in the tunnel and wait. In such cases, passengers think that the train stopped between stations, but in fact I see the tail in front of a moving train, between us from the power meter 150. This is because, for example, on the same "Vokzalnaya" the crowd for a long time can not squeeze into train, and the train is 10-20 seconds longer than normal. When the distance between trains is reduced, on the train, which goes after him, triggered automation and he slows down.

Furthermore, a special device every 50 meters shows how the maximum speed I can go (it depends on how far ahead is traveling composition). Sometimes, going 80 km / h, and the device suddenly indicates that the allowable maximum - 40. If you do not have time to slow down very smoothly, the train will automatically reset the rate. It is in such moments part of twitches and it seems that all passengers must fly through inertia in the first car.

On working hours and salary

From 06:15 to 07:00 - morning peak, this time to work out almost all train drivers. 10 minutes pass a medical examination and leave. Lunch - half an hour. If the itch to the toilet, you need to endure to the depot. In week one day off, it leaves only four weekends a month. So little of the fact that we have a six-hour working day. There are, however, and fatty weekend: on Friday morning finished work and came out already at 6 pm on Sunday.

In winter, do not see the sun for weeks. When the change of the morning, and live in the suburbs, as I commute to work by train. Those who finished the night shift and the next morning, spend the night in custody to "Darnitsa" and "Akademgorodok". It removes for underground workers in Khrushchev apartments where you can spend the night.

The salary with all allowances and bonuses - up to 5000 thousand hryvnia. If behind schedule by more than 10 seconds, can be fined (subtracted from the premium). A schedule can be difficult to hold. People for a long time comes - the train was delayed at the station. And not only that late, so still have to take the next station with a little more than people.

But in the evening, when the interval between trains about 10 minutes, not just while away the time. I pushed away from the floor and squatted so as not to go mad from boredom. Right in the cabin, of course. The rate of small devices in the field of view, everything under control. Some newspapers and magazines to read, to mobile play, listen to music.

About the secret tunnels and purses on the rails

When there was no station "Theatre", a train went by "University" at once "Khreshchatyk". Later, the "Theatre" was built parallel to the tunnel, but the old left. It began to bring their trash to the line. In 1995, the garbage caught fire - smoke and the stench was the whole branch.

There is still the tunnels from the "Arsenal" in the direction "Dnepr" - there
the whole complex in case of war. No one admits that there is specific. A couple of times I caught a glimpse of the huge metal gates. There still is a small train - a toy, as we call it. It is said that he is working on a diesel engine, not on electricity.

The light is lit in the tunnels, so I can see where there is someone walking. During the ride I meet a bunch of people, mostly electricians. These paths do not cross, they go on a special track along the right track.

And when "Vokzalnaya" enter, a wonderful picture opens: Left in several lay a purse for every taste! Pickpockets work there as: pulled the purse, took out the money, and stop it in the gap between the train and the platform dropped.

The human factor

All stations on the red line the doors open on the left side, and only on the "Dnepr" - to the right. More than once, that the passengers, despite the warning sign on the door, leaning on the platform and fell. There was a case, and when he made a mistake - has opened the door on the left "Dnepr". Fortunately, no one dropped out.

Do drivers have a rule: from the cockpit at intermediate stations can not go. And one jumped out of the cab to "Beresteis'ka": grandmother with a cart could not squeeze into the car, so he pushed it, the door slammed shut, and the train went. Nothing happened, the train reached the "Svyatoshino" tripped automatic composition stopped. Passengers think even did not notice. But the driver was fired, although he had the experience of about 30 years.

About devices

Everything is so arranged that simultaneously open both the left and right doors is not possible. You also can not open the door in one car - just all at once. On the new train travel more complicated. They slow down sharply, and it is bad - the wheels are "square" and stalled. We call the new trains tractors - they have levers that drive the train, arranged like a tractor.

In one case, the driver had stopped at the depot, it is unclear how the movement shifted into reverse and drove at a speed of 80 km / h! Fortunately quickly braked. After this incident, we made a special button to make the decision to go back was more meaningful.

Still there is radio. When you speak with the manager, you hear all the machinists on a branch. With controller it is necessary to say, if someone fell down, and if you are late more in some cases. But it is better when you're with him do not have to speak.

For ads on speakerphone also has a button. When I started working, there was only post ads stations. Everything else had to shout into the microphone. Sometimes and shouted obscenities. But, characteristically, none of the passengers did not complain.

© the-village

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